Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Do you all have any Independence Day plans yet? We intend to celebrate the 4th of July as we always do: at home, poolside, with family and friends. I've already begun planning and shopping for the menu so thought I'd share recipes with you as we go along.

I've been making this bean salad recipe since I first discovered it in a Vegetarian Times magazine, circa August 1996. It's been toted along to more potlucks and family gatherings than any other dish, is popular with meat-eaters and vegetarians alike.

Stay tuned, I'll be posting at least one healthy holiday recipe per day as I firm up my Independence Day menu!

Monday, June 27, 2011

It was a rainy Sunday here in the Sunshine State, typical summertime weather. I absolutely love when the afternoon thunderstorms roll in and we're forced to stay inside, reading, watching movies, or cooking! Today looks about the same but I don't have the luxury of lolling about the house, must head to work. *groan*

Knowing that it will likely be a busy day at the office, I went ahead and prepared today's meal in advance. All we'll have to do tonight is add a touch more pasta sauce and pop a plate into the microwave, add a nice green salad on the side and voila! Dinner is served!

I found this dish on Allrecipes; I just tweaked the ingredients a bit to make it healthier.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.

Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain. Bring 1/2 cup water to a boil in a saucepan, and cook the spinach 4 to 6 minutes, until tender.

Place the cooked pasta in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and oil. Toss the pasta with the cooked spinach, egg mixture, and bread crumbs.

Cover the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish with 1/3 of the pasta sauce. Pour half of the pasta mixture into the baking dish, and cover with another 1/3 of the pasta sauce. Sprinkle with half of the Cheddar cheese and half of the mozzarella. Layer with remaining pasta mixture, and top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with the rest of the Cheddar and mozzarella cheeses.

Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until bubbly and lightly browned.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

I've been craving some good old fashioned barbeque but, alas, our grill down here is broken. I had to "make do" by using my crockpot for this amazing Slowcooker BBQ Chicken, a recipe I've made many times for my family. Since I'm watching my weight and cutting down on meat, I decided to make a veggie version using Quorn Naked Cutlets, 2 Tablespoons of Stubbs BBQ Sauce served on a light whole-wheat hamburger bun. Alongside Pasta Salad (see recipe below) and steamed broccoli, this dish fulfilled my BBQ craving without compromising my diet!

Boil the pasta according to the directions on the package. Be careful NOT to overcook your pasta. When pasta is done (I suggest al dente), strain, and put in bowl. Let the pasta chill in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes, or until the pasta is slightly chilled. Add the tomatoes, cucumbers, Italian dressing, and red pepper flakes. Toss thoroughly and serve, or chill until ready to serve.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

They say that breakfast really is the most important meal of the day, and I believe them. I never, ever skip breakfast and always make sure it's a substantial one. I've found that I need protein in the morning otherwise I have a terrible 10 o'clock slump that has me eying the donut tray at the office! Now, if you're assuming that I mean the traditional high-calorie bacon & egg meal, think again! There are many other protein-rich food sources that'll provide the nutrition and energy you need to start your day. One of my personal favorites is a Breakfast Wrap.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Looking for a way to honor Meatless Monday and use up some of the pasta I bought on sale last week, a quick search of Ronzoni's website led me to this tasty-looking dish. I plugged the ingredients into the Recipe Builder, allowing for 8 (3/4-cup) portions per recipe.

Cook pasta according to package directions. In large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add eggplant and sauté 2 to 3 minutes longer. Stir in stock and cook until eggplant is tender. Stir in tomatoes and simmer until heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Toss cooked pasta with eggplant mixture and basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper and served topped with cheese.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

This is an older Weight Watchers recipe using the former POINTS system so if you follow that program, you may want to plug this into your Recipe Builder to determine Points Plus. I had fresh peppers on hand so I used them instead of frozen, also topped the finished fajitas with a little bit of fat-free sour cream...sloppy & spicy and oh-so-delicious!!

Friday, June 3, 2011

This is an older recipe with the former POINTS but if you're on Weight Watchers you could easily convert it using the Recipe Builder. I used vegetarian sausage patties, a little less cheese and a few more peppers & onions atop a thin crust to cut down on the calories. It was delicious and very filling!

Thursday, June 2, 2011

There was a slight change of menu for last night since I didn't have all of the ingredients for the Thai-Style Shrimp (how did I run out of Better'n Peanut Butter?). That recipe will wait for another day but in the meantime I decided to use what I have on hand. I tweaked this Hungry Girl recipe, substituting some veggie Italian Sausage links that have been languishing in the back of my freezer. They are a bit higher in fat/calories than I like but they taste soooo good, totally worth it! Besides, do you know how much a traditional plate of spaghetti & meat sauce will "cost" you, nutrition wise? Yikes! I'll stick to my version, thank you very much.

InstructionsDrain and rinse noodles; pat dry. Microwave for 1 minute, then pat dry again (the more water you soak up, the better the end result). Set noodles aside. Prepare sausage link on stovetop with nonstick spray and set aside. In skillet, heat Boca Ground Burger for approximately 3 minutes. Cut sausage into bite-sized pieces. Combine sausage, Boca meat, noodles, sauce and cheese, and mix well. Microwave entire dish for one additional minute.

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"Surely the day will come when color means nothing more than the skin tone, when religion is seen uniquely as a way to speak one's soul, when birth places have the weight of a throw of the dice and all men are born free, when understanding breeds love and brotherhood."

"Beautiful? It's all a question of luck. I was born with good legs. As for the rest... beautiful, no. Amusing, yes."